Byron

Amid the explosion in new burger joints in London, Byron, one of the pioneers of the scene, has become something of an oddity. It has class-​leading milkshakes (loads of ice cream and served in a metal tumbler) and craft beer lists (US, UK, elsewhere — little rivals it), great service and some interesting, individual venues. But compared to the emerging competition (Soho Diner, Honest, Bukowski, Grillshack. even Giraffe) their main product — burgers — now seem mediocre. When Byron first started out, cooking the patties at medium seemed radical. Now it’s the minimum level of flexibility one might expect. Likewise, the sauces, filling combos and the meat itself just seem unexciting next to the competition. It’s an okay burger, not a great burger.
Its food, drink and service remain the same across all its venues, meaning there is little to differentiate on this bases between them. Except the venues themselves, which commendably, and in stark contrast to other burger chains, each have their own individual style. And Byron Fulham’s style is definitely worth writing about. Housed in a former bank, the characteristics of its previous use have been maintained, with high, white-​painted ceilings and the kitchen occupying the space where the cashiers were. The highlight though, are the toilets downstairs which appear to be housed in the bank’s former vault, with a huge, heavy metal door permanently swung open to reveal the toilet cubicles within. I’ve never seen that kind of feature before — it’s inspired.
Despite all this though it remains a Byron with its unfortunate one key failing of its burger. Its unusual and stylish interior make this branch worth checking out, just set your culinary expectations to ‘average’ rather than ‘stun’.